How it all started. When our founder started his studies, he got introduced to the unpleasant surprise all students encounter: the costs of buying books. Why is it that there is no subscription-based platform offering study books making the necessary materials affordable and easy to use?
The idea became BUKU. In 2015 we presented our concept to publishers, started with the development, technical support and our first business angel Vincent van Wieren got on board.
Things are getting real. The idea that started in 2010 came to life⦠We began to build the platform, appointed Bertus Jan as CEO and started our pilot at one of the biggest universities of The Netherlands, Hanze University of Applied Sciences.
There is a first for everything. Milestone! The first pilot had been a great success, an institute of Hanze University, the Johan Cruijff Academy implemented BUKU into their program and we publicly launched BUKU in The Netherlands.
Letās go international. The FHR School of Business in Surinam was the first international country that started using BUKU, becoming the proof of concept which led to more joining publishers and expanding the online library.
And the winner is⦠NOVI University of ICT started using BUKU, more publishers joined, and we received the audience award for the Innovation Top 100 Price by the national Chamber of Commerce.
Good vibes. A busy year and we loved it: TIO University and Schoevers Educations started using BUKU, the closing an important round of investments, we launched in Aruba and Curacao, expanded in Surinam, and had our first users in Malawi: UNIMA College of Medicine.
Sky is the limit. We started to develop BUKU for secondary education, are orienting to work together with NGOās, are expanding in The Netherlands, launched in the Pacific Islands, and the North Coast Medical Training College of Kenya started using BUKU.
The Team. We are working with a motivated and enthusiastic group of people from different backgrounds, which creates a surprising dynamic. We are flexible in how and where we work, make room for pleasure and always try to bring out the best in each other. Through close collaboration within our team, we ensure that technology and sales complement each other and are able to achieve great improvements in process and product on a daily basis.
Culture. We define success by the people we work with: understanding each other and responding with a positive attitude. Not just within our team, but also with students, teachers, publishers and educational institutions. We believe in what we do and stand for the old saying 'rising tides lift all boats'. It fits perfectly with the way we treat each other, and how we view our relationships with partners at home and abroad. Every day we try to get better - for our users, for our partners and for ourselves.
BUKU is privileged to have access to the support, expertise and strategic thoughts of our Advisory Team ā sharp and experienced individuals, representing business and educational and international development.
Do you want to work in an awesome team at an innovative startup?
We are looking for talent that can help build our ambition. Interested?
Send an e-mail with your resume to us.